Lacrosse Hosts CMU in Pivotal MAC Game

Lacrosse vs. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Date	Sunday, April 14 \| 10:30 a.m.
Venue	Scicluna Field \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live	Statistics
Social Media	Instagram: @emu_Lacrosse \| Twitter: @EMU_Lacrosse

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – A battle for first place in the Mid-American Conference awaits the Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team this weekend as the Eagles are set to play host to the Chippewas of Central Michigan University Sunday, April 14, at 10:30 a.m. at Scicluna Field in Ypsilanti. Both teams enter with perfect 3-0 marks in league play with the Eagles (6-5, 3-0 MAC) coming off a 12-9 road win at the University of Detroit Mercy and the Chippewas (3-11, 3-0 MAC) scoring a 13-6 home win over Robert Morris University.

Who let the dogs out? 🐶

It's an all-day Bark at the Parks this Sunday, April 14! Three games, three giveaways, and plenty of pets to go around! #EMUEagles pic.twitter.com/5OCOng85dz
— Eastern Michigan Athletics (@EMUAthletics) April 10, 2024

OPENING DRAWS
» Eastern stands 6-5 overall and 3-0 in MAC play following its 12-9 road win at Detroit Mercy, April 7.
» The Eagles, who had one win in MAC play all last year (1-7), are tied atop the standings at 3-0, sharing the top spot with Central Michigan.
» In its most recent game, Eastern came back from a pair of three-goal deficits to defeat the Titans, 12-9, in Detroit. In the game, Kelsea Dague paced the offense with six points on four goals and two assists (all career highs) while Maddie Porter stopped 10 shots and posted a school-record 11 ground balls.
» The 11 ground balls Maddie Porter tallied not only stand as a school record, but also rank as the second-most recorded in a game this year among all NCAA Division I teams.
» Maddie Porter was named the MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week following her strong showing at UDM, marking her first career MAC honor and the second defensive accolade earned by EMU in as many weeks.
» The Eagles won 22-of-25 draw controls at UDM, giving Eastern a school-record +19 differential. Mackenzie Blackwell posted 11 draw controls while Abby Alderman added seven.
» In the latest NCAA statistics release, Maddie Porter is No. 1 nationally with 4.80 ground balls per game while the team is No. 1 in fewest fouls committed per game at 6.73.
» Five Eagles were selected captains ahead of the 2024 season, including sophomores Mackenzie Blackwell, Skylar Hilmer, Gina Jaffurs, and Annika Wozney, and graduate student Sydney Lawrence.
» Head Coach Sara Tisdale is back for her second year building the Eagle program and carries a career record of 113-82 in 12 years of coaching. Eastern is the third program she has started from scratch after starting programs at Augustana (Ill.) in 2012 and Central Michigan in 2016.
» Eastern was voted fourth in the 2024 MAC Preseason Coaches Poll, up from a tie for sixth in 2023.

WITH A WIN OVER CENTRAL MICHIGAN, EASTERN WOULD...
» Hold sole possession of first place in the MAC standings at 4-0.
» Record its first win over Central Michigan in three tries.
» Set a program record for home MAC wins at two after winning just once at home in 2023.

AROUND THE MAC
The 2024 MAC Tournament will be played May 2 and May 4 at the site of the regular season champion. While there are still three weeks of games to be played, the winner of the Eastern Michigan-Central Michigan game this week would move to 4-0 in league play and take over sole possession of first place in the MAC.

LOOKING BACK: DETROIT MERCY
The Eagles scored a big road win in MAC play Sunday, April 7, as they came back from a pair of three-goal deficits to hand Detroit Mercy at 12-9 decision at Titan Field in Detroit. Kelsea Dague posted career highs with six points, four goals, and two assists while Mackenzie Blackwell scored another hat trick while collecting 11 draw controls. On defense, Maddie Porter recorded 10 saves to help the Eagles to 3-0 in MAC play while she tallied 11 ground balls, the most in a single game in program history and the second-most in a game all year among NCAA Division I players.

𝗠𝗔𝗖 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗪 = 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿!

Maddie Porter has been named the @MACSports Co-Defensive Player of the Week!#EMUEagles | #JACKPOT https://t.co/Z4rg1CQRg2
— EMU Lacrosse (@EMU_Lacrosse) April 9, 2024

YOU'RE A WIZARD, PORTER!
Maddie Porter had a stellar game in cage for the Eagles at Detroit Mercy as the rookie goalie remained undefeated in MAC play as recorded 10 saves and 11 ground balls to help the Eagles defeat the Titans and move to 3-0 in league play for the first time in program history. The 11 ground balls stand as a single-game record at EMU and rank as the second-most in a game this year in the NCAA. Overall, for the week, Porter finished with 18 saves, 13 ground balls, and one caused turnover. With her play, the Eagles are tied for the top spot in the MAC standings with three games to play. For her efforts, she was named the MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week.

SCOUTING: CENTRAL MICHIGAN
The Chippewas enter the weekend with a 3-11 overall record but are 3-0 in the MAC. Central Michigan has not shied from competition in 2024 as they have played four nationally ranked foes in No. 7 Notre Dame (L, 22-3), No. 19 Colorado (L, 13-7), No. 3 Northwestern (L, 27-3), and No. 6 Michigan (L, 11-3). CMU won its most recent game, a 13-6 home victory over Robert Morris, April 7, which pushed the Chippewas into a tie with the Eagles for first in the league standings. Individually, Skye DePrado leads the way with 31 points on 27 goals and four assists while Sadie Hinkle has posted 18 goals. Defensively, Alexa Martel has started all 14 games where she has posted 153 saves and allowed 195 goals for a .440 save percentage and a 15.21 goals-against average.

IN THE SERIES: EAGLES vs. CHIPPEWAS
Eastern is 0-2 all-time against Central Michigan after dropping both games played in the 2023 season. The first game saw the Eagles fall, 17-11, April 5, 2023, in their inaugural home MAC game before dropping a 19-4 decision at CMU, April 26, 2023.

MORE HATS THAN A BASEBALL TEAM
Mackenzie Blackwell continues to lead the team in scoring this season as she has accumulated 41 goals, surpassing the single-season record of 38 she scored in 2023. After scoring three goals at Detroit Mercy, Blackwell has 15 hat tricks in her career and seven this year. Additionally, she has scored at least one goal in 88.9 percent of all games played (24-of-27) and tallied three or more goals in 55.6 percent of the game (15-of-27).

ONE OF THE BEST
With her 41 goals in nine games, Mackenzie Blackwell is averaging 3.73 goals per contest, which continues to lead the MAC and ranks 19th nationally. The third-highest scoring sophomore in NCAA Division I, Blackwell's 41 goals ranks 39th in the nation as well.

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADERS
As a team, the Eagles hold the top spot in seven statistical categories in the MAC with top three rankings in five others. Through games played April 7, Eastern leads the league in points (16.45), assists (5.73), woman-up goals (1.91), save percentage (.477), goals against average (11.55), ground balls (18.27), and draw controls (14.73). The Eagles rank second in the MAC goals (10.73) and shots on goal per game (19.09).

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADERS, PART II
Individually, an Eagle leads five offensive categories with Mackenzie Blackwell holding the top spot in both goals per game (3.73) and draw controls per game (5.09). Additionally, Avery Schwab is tops in assists (1.45); Giuliana Ditsky leads in save percentage (.481); and Maddie Porter leads in ground balls per game (4.80).

NATIONALLY KNOWN
In the latest NCAA Division I statistics update, Eastern is ranked among the top 50 in five categories, including two top 25 standings. As a team, the Eagles are 19th in ground balls (18.27), 21st in save percentage (.477), 33rd in draw controls (14.73), 43rd in assists (5.73), and 46th in shot percentage (.437).

HIGH MARKS
As a team, the Eagles have posted three marks that rank among the top four nationally in single-game standings with the 20 saves recorded at Marquette (March 17) ranking third in a single game among all NCAA Division I teams. Earlier this year, the 26 draw controls recorded at Duquesne (Feb. 15) rank as the third-most while the 37 ground balls recorded at Howard (Feb. 25) rank fourth.

HAPPY HELPERS
It is no surprise the Eagles lead the MAC in assists as four players rank among the top 10 with Avery Schwab (1.45) leading the league. Tracy Grollman sits third (1.22) and Sydney Lawrence fourth (1.11) while Abby Alderman (0.73) sits 10th.

ON THE HORIZON
Two games await the Eagles next week, including their final non-conference game of 2024 and their final road game of the regular season. First, Eastern will play host to the Musketeers of Xavier University, Wednesday, April 17, in a 3 p.m. opening draw at Scicluna Field. Then, the Eagles will venture to Youngstown, Ohio, Sunday, April 21, for a 12 p.m. meeting with Youngstown State University in EMU's final MAC road game of 2024.

FOLLOW US
For all things EMU Lacrosse, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMU_Lacrosse on X (formerly Twitter) and EMU_Lacrosse on Instagram.

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Players Mentioned

Abby Alderman

Mackenzie Blackwell

Kelsea Dague

Giuliana Ditsky

Tracy Grollman

Skylar Hilmer

Gina Jaffurs

Sydney Lawrence

Maddy Porter

Avery Schwab

Annika Wozney

Eastern Michigan Athletics